ORCID
- Jonathan Rhodes: 0000-0002-7921-8242
Abstract
Imagery is widely used in sport, but its effectiveness depends on how it is structured and the range of senses engaged. This study compared Functional Imagery Training - a multisensory, motivational intervention - with single-sense internal visual imagery and a control condition without imagery training. Thirty-eight competitive tennis players completed imagery ability and preference assessments before engaging in a 6-week intervention. Serve accuracy was measured pre- and post intervention using a target-based scoring task. Both imagery conditions led to performance improvements, with Functional Imagery Training producing significantly greater gains. The control group showed no significant change. Imagery ability and preferred use did not predict outcomes, and participants whose training matched their reported preference did not perform better than those mismatched. These findings support the use of multisensory and motivationally grounded approaches such as Functional Imagery Training, suggesting that the structure and emotional relevance of imagery may be more critical for performance than preference or ability.
DOI Link
Publication Date
2026-02-18
Publication Title
Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology
ISSN
0895-2779
Acceptance Date
2025-12-04
Deposit Date
2026-03-09
Additional Links
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
First Page
1
Last Page
8
Recommended Citation
Rhodes, J., & Leach, A. (2026) 'Evaluating Functional Imagery Training and Internal Visual Imagery on Tennis Serve Performance', Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, , pp. 1-8. Available at: 10.1123/jsep.2025-0161
